Lenovo's AR Star Wars Game Trains You To Be A Jedi

More and more companies are beginning to ride the immersive waves with augmented and virtual reality and enthusiasts are starting to see more recognizable brands take the leap. This time around, Lenovo is taking users to a galaxy far, far away with an augmented reality headset that exclusively runs a Star Wars experience.

The Lenovo Mirage is a mobile AR headset that comes with a beacon that requires you to throw in a couple AA batteries. For Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, which is currently the only game that works with the Mirage, you’ll download the game to your smart phone and use a lightsaber that has its own rechargeable battery.

The Mirage’s beacon is used to track your position and the game will instruct you on how to place it. Once things are set up, you’ll be able to engage in Jedi training. In their hands-on, Engadget reported that lightsaber duels weren’t the only element of this training either. You command troops on a battlefield in what feels like a tabletop strategy game and even hone your mind with some Holochess. The publication chatted with Disney’s VP of advanced development, Mike Goslin, during this experience and he expressed that, while they like VR, we think AR is very mass-market friendly. And that's what we're trying to do here.”

This marriage of ideas is likely to be a fruitful, with Lenovo coming to the table with hardware pedigree and Disney bringing the recognizable brand for mass consumption. Initiatives like this and the upcoming Walking Dead AR game will certainly keep the immersive tech industry growing. Pokemon GO opened the door and all that's left is to walk through it.

Charles Singletary

News Editor

Charles’ gaming origins began with the NES, evolved with the Sega Genesis, but completely spiraled into chaos with the original PlayStation. Front Mission 3, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy Tactics all changed his life and lit the path that ushered him into writing about games. He’s freelanced across various publications including Motherboard and ZAM, discusses games bi-weekly on the Coins 2 Continue podcast, and considers himself incredibly lucky to have a home with Shacknews where he can continue to write about the industry that shaped him.